Sporting KC Weekly Update

C.J. Sapong's sliding volley against the San Jose Earthquakes and Julio Cesar's finish against Toronto FC are still in the running for AT&T Goal of the Year. After easily moving through Round One voting, the Semifinal Round features the top 16 goals in Major League Soccer this season. Placed in groups of four, the top goal in each group will move on to Final Group. Voting began for the Round of 16 at 12 p.m. CT today and will continue through Nov. 21. The AT&T Goal of the Year, determined by online and text voting, will be announced on Thursday, Nov. 29.

Jimmy Nielsen is also nominated for MLS Save of the Year. The Semifinal Round of 16 voting was released at 12 p.m. CT today and voting will continue through Nov. 21. The MLS Save of the Year, as determined by online voting, will be announced on Thursday, Nov. 29.

Sporting Kansas City forward Jacob Peterson will undergo surgery to repair a subluxed right shoulder on Friday and is expected to require a four-month recovery, the club announced on Monday.

Peterson, 26, appeared in 23 MLS matches for Sporting Kansas City during the 2012 regular season and matched his career-high with four goals in MLS competition. The seventh-year professional out of Indiana University also added a game-winning assist in a 2-0 victory over Toronto and scored the game-winning goal in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Semifinals.

Peterson sustained the injury while diving for a header in the 67th minute of a 2-1 loss against the Columbus Crew on July 28. He missed five MLS matches before returning in a 1-1 draw against the Houston Dynamo on Sept. 14.

PETERSON JOSEPH JOINS HAITI IN CARIBBEAN CUP QUALIFYING

Sporting Kansas City midfielder Peterson Joseph was named to the Haitian National Team roster on Monday for the second round of Caribbean Cup qualifying.

Haiti opened Group 6 play against Guyana at 4 p.m. CT today, before facing French Guiana at 4 p.m. CT on Friday and hosts Grenada at 6 p.m. CT on Sunday in the finale. All three games will be played at the Grenada National Stadium in the capital city of St. George's.

The top two teams in Group 6 will advance to the 2012 Caribbean Cup, an eight-team tournament that will determine which four teams from the Caribbean FootballUnion earn berths in the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Joseph, 22, is one of six midfielders on the 19-player roster selected by head coach Israel Blake Cantero. He started all three matches for Haiti in September in the first round of qualifying, helping the country win Group A with victories over Saint Martin, Bermuda and Puerto Rico.

Joseph appeared in 10 MLS matches for Sporting Kansas City during the regular season, earning a game-winning assist in a 2-0 victory at Columbus. Most recently, he appeared in both legs of the Eastern Conference Semifinals during the 2012 MLS Cup Playoffs.

SPORTING KC ELIMINATED FROM 2012 MLS CUP PLAYOFFS

Sporting Kansas City was eliminated from the 2012 MLS Cup Playoffs last Wednesday, falling 2-1 on aggregate after a 1-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park in the second leg of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Seth Sinovic, a Leawood, Kan. native, scored his first career MLS goal in the 64th minute in front of 20,894 fans, the second-largest crowd in stadium history.

TRIBUTE TO BE HELD FOR FORMER ACADEMY PLAYER AARON COBB

St. Thomas Aquinas will host a fundraiser and tribute match on Thursday night on Field 1 at the Overland Park Soccer Complex for former Sporting KC Academy player Aaron Cobb, who passed away on Nov. 9 due to injuries from a car accident in Rolla, Mo. He was attending Missouri University of Science and Technology and was scheduled to receive his degree in Civil Architectural and Environmental Engineering in December 2013.

An Olathe, Kan. native, Cobb was a 2009 graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas and waspart of the Saints nine straight state championships. He earned All-State honors as a senior and was also a member of the original Sporting KC Academy U-17 team in 2007 that reached the finals of the SUM Cup.

The visitation will be on Friday from 5-7 p.m. CT at Porter Funeral Home in Lenexa, Kan. and the funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. CT on Saturday at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Lenexa, Kan.

Condolences may be expressed at: www.porterfuneralhome.com .

SPORTING KC ANNOUNCES 2013 PRE-SEASON DESTINATIONS

Sporting Kansas City will travel to Tucson, Ariz. and Orlando, Fla. for the team's 2013 pre-season, the club announced last week. The team will arrive in Tucson on Jan. 20 for a two-week stay and will participate in The Desert Friendlies presented by FC Tucson against other MLS competition at the Kino Sports Complex. The matches will be open to the public with tickets to go on sale later this month. Visit FCTucson.com for more information. The upcoming pre-season will mark the third straight yearthat Sporting Kansas City has selected Tucson as a pre-season site.

After returning home to Kansas City on Feb. 2, the club will depart for the second leg of the 2013 pre-season in Orlando on Feb. 7. Sporting Kansas City will be one of several MLS teams once again competing in the 2013 Disney Pro Soccer Classic at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex from Feb. 9-23. Sporting Kansas City supporters can follow the club to Central Florida to see the team compete in the tournament while enjoying all of the world class attractions Orlando has to offer. Travel packages are available that include lodging, match tickets, attraction tickets and exclusive VIP experiences. Visit SoccerSpringTraining.com for details.

In addition to the MLS regular season schedule, Sporting Kansas City's 2013 campaign will be highlighted by the club's defense of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title and participation in the 2013-2014 CONCACAF Champions League. Season tickets for the 2013 season at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park start at $300 for a 20-game package and are available to purchase by calling 888-4KC-GOAL.

SCORE A GRAHAM ZUSI SIGNED BALL BY SWITCHING TO SPRINT

When you sign up for an Unlimited plan from Sprint before Nov. 18, you will receive a soccer ball autographed by Sporting KC midfielder Graham Zusi. This is a limited time offer while supplies last. Use promo code GWP1007E to redeem.

Sprint is the official wireless telecommunications provider of Sporting Kansas City.

COLLIN, MYERS REPRESENT SPORTING KC IN MOVEMBER

Sporting Kansas City defenders Chance Myers and Aurelien Collin have teamed up with MLS W.O.R.K.S. for Soccer Kicks Cancer's Movember 2012 Campaign. Movember is a mustache-growing campaign that raises funds and awareness for men's health issues, specifically prostate and testicular cancer initiatives. Myers and Collin began growing their mustaches on Nov. 1 and invite fans to join them in their hairy quest.

How to register:

1. go to the Sporting KC page

2. Click Join to register

3. Once you're registered, you can take advantage of

Movember's available resources to customize your MO SPACE page and solicit additional members to join your team and support your efforts. Myers and Collin's mustaches will be documented on social media and the blog throughout the month-long campaign and fans are encouraged to Tweet/Facebook pictures of their mustache to Sporting KC.

All 19 clubs in the MLS will be represented in the campaign and MLS W.O.R.K.S. will match funds raised by the highest individual fundraiser in the MLS Network (individual person, not team). The fundsraised support prostate cancer and testicular cancer initiatives. The fundsraised are directed to programs run directly by Movember and their men's health partners, the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the LIVESTRONG Foundation.

SPORTING KC STARS TO FLIP SWITCH AT PLAZA LIGHTING EVENT

Sporting Kansas City players Matt Besler, Kei Kamara and Jimmy Nielsen will "Flip the Switch" as honored guests at the Plaza Lighting Ceremony. 41 Action News Chief Meteorologist Gary Lezak will host the ceremony, which will feature a performance by The Elders, followed by a free hour-long concert from The Elders immediately after the ceremony ends.

The ceremony is held on Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 22nd, from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. CT at a new location on Country Club Plaza. Theceremony main stage has been moved to a brand new location on Nichols Road and Pennsylvania, near Brio Tuscan Grille and Burberry. The stage will be located on Nichols Road, just west of Pennsylvania, and will face east. The new location features a larger gathering area that will allow for more people to have great views of the ceremony's exciting onstage entertainment and the Flip of the Switch.

SPORTING KC NOW TAKING DEPOSITS FOR 2013 RESERVED SEATING

Sporting Kansas City supporters can now place 2013 Season Ticket Deposits for all Reserved Seating at LIVESTRONG SportingPark by calling 888-4KC-GOAL or visiting www.SportingKC.com.

FOLLOW SPORTING KC ONLINE

Sporting Kansas City fans looking to keep up with the club on the worldwide web now have a place to go. The social media page on SportingKC.com features Twitter account information for the club, its players as well as many staff members. Additionally, fans may take advantage of the Media Recap page for all the latest independent news coverage available online.